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The Institute
Book by Cain, James M.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
6 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
About the author
James M. Cain
144 books878 followersJames Mallahan Cain (July 1, 1892–October 27, 1977) was an American journalist and novelist. Although Cain himself vehemently opposed labeling, he is usually associated with the hard-boiled school of American crime fiction and seen as one of the creators of the "roman noir."
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
He was born into an Irish Catholic family in Annapolis, Maryland, the son of a prominent educator and an opera singer. He inherited his love for music from his mother, but his high hopes of starting a career as a singer himself were thwarted when she told him that his voice was not good enough.
After graduating from Washington College where his father, James W. Cain served as president, in 1910, he began working as a journalist for The Baltimore Sun.
He was drafted into the United States Army and spent the final year of World War I in France writing for an Army magazine. On his return to the United States he continued working as a journalist, writing editorials for the New York World and articles for American Mercury. He also served briefly as the managing editor of The New Yorker, but later turned to screenplays and finally to fiction.
Although Cain spent many years in Hollywood working on screenplays, his name only appears on the credits of three films, Algiers, Stand Up and Fight, and Gypsy Wildcat.
His first novel (he had already published Our Government in 1930), The Postman Always Rings Twice was published in 1934. Two years later the serialized, in Liberty Magazine, Double Indemnity was published.
He made use of his love of music and of the opera in particular in at least three of his novels: Serenade (about an American opera singer who loses his voice and who, after spending part of his life south of the border, re-enters the States illegally with a Mexican prostitute in tow), Mildred Pierce (in which, as part of the subplot, the only daughter of a successful businesswoman trains as an opera singer) and Career in C Major (a short semi-comic novel about the unhappy husband of an aspiring opera singer who unexpectedly discovered that he has a better voice than she does).
He continued writing up to his death at the age of 85. His last three published works, The Baby in the Icebox (1981), Cloud Nine (1984) and The Enchanted Isle (1985) being published posthumously. However, the many novels he published from the late 1940s onward never quite rivaled his earlier successes.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 5, 2016
This was the first book I've read to use "vloomped" as a verb.
March 18, 2025
This book was laughably bad. One can only surmise that is was a way for a sympathetic publisher to reward one of noir's great writers with a payday near the end of his career.
Dialogue that would never come out of anyone's mouth, situations that warrant entirely different responses, and whiplash from the characters being alternately deplorable and comical.
I made it to the end only because it was part of my 'pulp project.'
Dialogue that would never come out of anyone's mouth, situations that warrant entirely different responses, and whiplash from the characters being alternately deplorable and comical.
I made it to the end only because it was part of my 'pulp project.'
November 7, 2022
Great read this is an awesome book I recommend
December 29, 2012
So there was this Swedish housekeeper who did not wear underpants ...
(Spoilers)
This is another late-career James M. Cain novel and is written in his typical, politically incorrect style. I enjoyed it immensely.
Lloyd Palmer PhD., and college professor has a scheme to start an institute and approaches philanthropist Richard Garrett for funding. Garrett takes on the project on the condition that his wife Hortense approves and will be part of the project. Hortense turns out to be much younger than her husband and by the end of the second short chapter, she and Lloyd are banging the daylights out of each other. We are given to understand that Hortense is well above Lloyd's station in life and is ultra attractive, but this is a Cain novel, so that's the way it is supposed to be.
This passionate fling turns out not to be a huge problem, because Richard Garrett wants only the best for his wife ... and the afforementioned Swedish housekeeper for himself. (She seems to resolve an issue with his droopy pecker by lifting up her little Swedish housekeeper uniform at unexpected times). So, all is cool.
Everything sails along as Lloyd begins to build his institute, but of course things become complicated. I should mention that he is a former University of Maryland quarterback with many game-winning performances to his credit, all of which seem to have been seen by and remembered in detail by various of the females who appear along the way. These women all seem to need his help getting into and out of their clothing and even Hortense's mom makes such a request.
And then there is Teddy, one of his former students who keeps popping up. Teddy is a sultry looking Latina who seems to have the answers for everything and her sights set on Lloyd.
There is a usual amount of business scheming along the way as well as a Congressional Investigation into the Hortense Garrett Institute of Biography. We are also treated to Dr. Palmer's unorthodox analysis of Shakespeare's sonnets, but ultimately, a couple of the characters get killed and everything comes together in Cain-style happy ending.
......................
December 10, 2019
What the heck did I just read? I had never read James M Cain before, but am a big movie buff so of course had seen various adaptations of his big three (Postman, Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce). After seeing HBO's excellent Mildred Pierce, decided to pick up some random Cain, and started this one just because the title was interesting.
Hooboy, wish I'd read some reviews. This was written in the 70s, much later in his career and is a big stinking mess. It reads more like an SCTV parody of noir than actual noir. People enter and exit the book, almost out of nowhere, alliances are made and broken on a whim. We randomly get dissertations on who wrote Shakespeare's sonnets, the civil war, space-age materials, stock swindles. Halfway through, it feels like literally anything awaits you on the next page, and not in a good way. Nothing feels real, like the entire thing is taking place in Melonville (the fictional city where SCTV supposedly took place). It's only about 200 pages long but took me 4 days to read as I dreaded picking it up.
And don't be started on the women. Lucas Palmer falls in love with Hortense, the wife of a millionaire funding his institute of biography. Lucas is sort of well-realized, but Hortense is a caricature of a woman who lives only on feelings. Later we get Teddy who comes out of nowhere wanting to sleep with Palmer. Hortense hates her, then LOVES her when, in the single act of picking up a baby teaches Hortense about love; Hortense swoons and gives her a million bucks. It beggars belief. And don't get me started on the Swedish maid who shows her pantyhose to a detective, bragging about sleeping with...K. Won't give that one away...but it's so stupid. I can see Catherine O'Hara milking it for big laughs.
Anyhow, i haven't read any other Cain books, but if i pick him up again I think I'll start at the beginning and stick with the big three. This thing is literary trauma.
Hooboy, wish I'd read some reviews. This was written in the 70s, much later in his career and is a big stinking mess. It reads more like an SCTV parody of noir than actual noir. People enter and exit the book, almost out of nowhere, alliances are made and broken on a whim. We randomly get dissertations on who wrote Shakespeare's sonnets, the civil war, space-age materials, stock swindles. Halfway through, it feels like literally anything awaits you on the next page, and not in a good way. Nothing feels real, like the entire thing is taking place in Melonville (the fictional city where SCTV supposedly took place). It's only about 200 pages long but took me 4 days to read as I dreaded picking it up.
And don't be started on the women. Lucas Palmer falls in love with Hortense, the wife of a millionaire funding his institute of biography. Lucas is sort of well-realized, but Hortense is a caricature of a woman who lives only on feelings. Later we get Teddy who comes out of nowhere wanting to sleep with Palmer. Hortense hates her, then LOVES her when, in the single act of picking up a baby teaches Hortense about love; Hortense swoons and gives her a million bucks. It beggars belief. And don't get me started on the Swedish maid who shows her pantyhose to a detective, bragging about sleeping with...K. Won't give that one away...but it's so stupid. I can see Catherine O'Hara milking it for big laughs.
Anyhow, i haven't read any other Cain books, but if i pick him up again I think I'll start at the beginning and stick with the big three. This thing is literary trauma.
May 23, 2014
A disappointing book. The Institute was written near the end of the author's life, and lacks the energy and voice of his earlier work. When I read Mildred Pierce, I found myself interested in every character. With this book, however, all too often I found myself skipping whole pages due to my lack of care or interest in the characters. While I highly recommend Mildred Pierce, especially for its strong voice and interesting characters, I cannot recommend reading The Institute.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews